How to Make Your Backyard a Vacation Oasis

A vacation at home

While his neighbors pack up their cars for out-of-town vacation treks, this Twin Cities landowner retires to his backyard for an instant vacation escape, where he can relax by a fire and listen to a waterfall's soothing melody--without the commute time.

The Twin Cities yard serves as a showroom of his work as a landscape designer. While his outdoor living area is more elaborate than most in a region with famously short summers, you can use these ideas on a smaller scale to make any backyard a vacation-worthy destination.

Add water

A vacation calls for water. Invoking beach getaways and lounging by the seashore, water in motion adds an aural sense of escape. Reflective and soothing, it can even veil the sounds of nearby traffic or too-close neighbors. You can install waterfalls to bring the benefits of water to your yard or use a self-contained fountain for a similar effect at less cost.

Create surprises

Tuck an intriguing piece of garden art where it can be seen only from the patio, or position the patio itself through an arbor or around a corner or the curve of a path so it feels like a discovery. Loop a garden walkway around your yard so guests can stroll.

Here, a tucked-away footbridge leads to an intimate seating area overlooking the pond.

Make it comfy

Just like at a resort, your backyard escape should offer nice touches. Though hard benches and flat stones make good short-term perches, a retreat invites lingering. Go cushy with outdoor fabrics, and have a swing for two. Include side tables that make it easy to park a drink or grab a book.

Add a little romance

A great escape will be especially popular in the evening, so plan soft landscape lighting, twinkle lights or candles. Citronella candles do double duty by helping keep bugs at bay. Illuminate paths so guests can safely travel back to the house after dark. Top off your area with music by mounting outdoor speakers nearby.

Get private

Give a nook a sense of escape by creating privacy. Frame it on two or three sides with hedges or fences (or put the patio against a shed or house wall) to shield it from neighbors. Also use shrubs or fences to screen unwanted views.

In this yard, a softly curved arbor and a hedge of evergreens provide privacy for the main patio.

Build with stone

Native stones can make your backyard feel more natural and soothing. You can use just a few stones to add visual interest in plant beds or go all-out with stone walls and paths. Durable and dramatic, stone can also help tie together different living spaces around your yard when placed strategically.

Cook outdoors

As with an indoor kitchen, a well-designed outdoor kitchen lets guests hang out comfortably near the cook without being underfoot. An outdoor kitchen can be as elaborate as this one—with a cafelike sprinkling of tables and chairs, plus a cooking area that has an undergrill fridge and cabinets to keep plates and utensils handy—or as simple as a freestanding grill, a table and chairs. Just allow plenty of room for guests to relax. Small touches such as sun umbrellas can go a long way toward adding both color and comfort.

Fire it up

A fire pit will give your yard an after-hours vacation glow and keep guests cozy into the evening. You can build a permanent version or purchase one of a wide variety of portable types, including gas and propane models. Just check your local ordinances before you invest--some cities limit the size and use of fire pits.

Spread out seating

If your yard is large enough, design it with several seating areas instead of just one. Enhance the vacation aura by creating resting spots such as this one with a weathered lawn chair. Elements such as blooming plants or a special view tempt visitors to wander.

What about winter?

Your backyard retreat may look lovely in summer, but what about those long Midwest winters? No problem—it's easy to winterize.

Hardy plants such as hosta, Huechera and Vinca minor (supplemented each spring with fresh annual container plantings) will survive to flourish another season. In this Minnesota yard, even the fish hang around, thanks to a floating heater that prevents the main pond from turning to a block of ice.